


Clarification

by Socially_inept_bean



Series: Reed900 oneshots [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Cuddles, Detroit Evolution, Detroit Evolution spoilers, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nines does the weird skin thing androids do, Not Beta Read, Sharktreuse, Swearing, kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23765776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Socially_inept_bean/pseuds/Socially_inept_bean
Summary: Gavin isn’t really sure what to do after the serial killer is caught. Nines doesn’t mind.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Series: Reed900 oneshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706017
Comments: 3
Kudos: 158





	Clarification

**Author's Note:**

> Here. Have this. I’ve been agonizing over it for a week. Take it.

Nines glanced down at his partner as he was talking. After the android serial killing case had been sort of wrapped up, Fowler had dumped them right back into more android crimes. With Connor and Hank’s extended contract in New York, Gavin and Nines had to pick up some of the slack. Gavin was listening dutifully to Nines as the android presented the evidence for their new case. Or, at least, that’s what it looked like.

Gavin was tapping his fingers across the desk in rhythm, staring at Nines, who was sat on the edge of the human’s desk.

“Gavin, are you listening to me?”

“Yeah, yeah, you said that the killer isn’t human ‘cause there weren’t finger prints and all that shit we found at the scene.” Gavin waved his free hand as he spoke, the other hand busy tapping away. Nines’ eyes narrowed.

“Gavin, I’m built with a lie detector. And even if I wasn’t, you’re a terrible liar.” His gaze softened. “What is it?” He bit his lip, eyes drifting to the side. When he didn’t answer, Nines continued. “Gavin, nothing has changed between us. At least not too much, I’d hope. And I’d hope you can tell me when something is wrong?” He didn’t seem to hear, and Nines was about to sigh and back off, when he took a steadying breath.

“I’ve. . . Ive um- been meaning to ask-“ Gavin looked down and his leg started bouncing. “Do you wanna- um-“ he swallowed.

“You can ask me anything,” Nines assured. “I’m not going to hate you, whatever it is.” He nodded nervously, taking another breath.

“Do you wanna, uh- you wanna stay at my place. . . ? Y-you don’t have to or- or anything, but-“

“I’d love to.” He froze, looking up in shock.

“You- you would?” Nines tilted his head, a warm smiling gracing his lips .

“Yes. I would.” Gavin swallowed. The android could  see him drawing the walls back up.

“I know I’m amazing, Nines, but you didn’t have to agree so quickly.” The human grinned smugly, and Nines rolled his eyes.

“I hate you.”

“You love me.” Nines waited for him to say something else, and when he didn’t, he continued going over the case.

  
  


The rest of the day went by smoothly, and they got home in much the same way. Nines knew Gavin was pretending everything was fine. And for Nines, it was. But he could see that Gavin was stressing about this whole situation, and had been since the encounter earlier in the day.

He followed along, however. He sat with him on the couch as he ate a microwaved dinner, and complained about the show they were watching. 

The more time that passed, the more nagging the question in the back of his head became. He suspected the answer, but wanted to hear it from Gavin himself. Eventually, we’ll into the night, and an empty plate abandoned on the coffee table, he asked.

“Why did you only ask me this morning if I would stay at your apartment?” Gavin blinked in surprise at the suddenness. He looked down, reluctant to answer. “I’m sure you wanted to ask me last night, after we kissed on the roof. So why didn’t you?”

It took Gavin several moments to respond. “I dunno what you’re trying to imply, tin can. If I’d wanted to ask you, I would’ve done it.”

“We both know that’s not true, Gavin.” He shifted uncomfortably, looking as though he was fighting his emotions.

“Yeah, of course I wanted you to stay with me. But I didn’t ask ‘cause. . . I just couldn’t, alright?”

“You were scared?” He opened his mouth to take in a slow, deep breath, before admitting.

“. . . Yeah. Yeah I was. . . I was scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to admit it.” Nines scooted closer on the couch, tentatively placing a hand on Gavin’s shoulder. He flinched, but quickly leaned into the touch desperately. The android slid the hand around the human, pulling him into a hug.

“I don’t know if I can. . . if I can do that, Nines.” His voice was low, gravelly with emotion he wasn’t used to showing. He rubbed Gavin’s arm comfortingly, bringing his other hand, now a smooth and pristine white, to bring his head to rest on his chest.

“We’ll work on it. How about just with me?” He leaned down, and picked up Gavin’s legs, pulling them over to lay across his lap. He then wrapped both arms around his love again, rocking gently. “Maybe you don’t have to show your fear to anyone else, at least not soon. Maybe not ever. Can you do that?”

He didn’t speak for a long time, after that. He could feel the faint trembling in his stiff form. The longer they stayed like that, the more he melted into the hold he was in, relaxing into the hug. Nines faintly noticed his programmed breathing and the pump of thirium through his systems had synced with the human’s in his arms.

“. . . I-. . . yeah. Yeah, okay.” He turned up, shifting to look at Nines, who smiled, taking his chin in one hand, and leaning down to kiss at the wetness forming in the detective’s eyes. His breath hitched, ragged and fearful. Memories of their first kiss surfaced, making his artificial heart ache.

He moved down, letting his lips hover over the other’s, an invitation. After a few moments, Gavin’s eyes fluttered shut, and he leaned up, taking the invitation. His hand made its way to the back of his head, pulling him closer. He could feel the raw vulnerability and emotion as Gavin pressed his lips against his.

Nines relished the feeling, pushing back with just as much force. His heart swelled. He didn’t try to go further, perfectly content with the boundaries they had and the way things were.

Eventually, the need for breath overwhelmed the human, and he pulled back, gasping. Eyes half-lidded, he looked into Nines’ eyes. After a few moments, he leaned back into the RK’s chest, taking a ragged breath.

They stayed like that for a long while. Nines could’ve known how long in less than a second, but he preferred to remain unknowing, in a state of exhaustion where you couldn’t really tell time was passing until you came out of it.

“What are we?” Gavin murmured against his chest.

“Whatever you want us to be.”

“I don’t-. . . I don’t know what I want.” He pulled away from the warm embrace to sit up straight and look at him. “I mean- I want-  _you_. But I’m-“ he broke off, swallowing. Nines nodded for him to go on. “. . . scared. I want to be with you but- every time I think of putting a label on us I just- I  _can’t_.” He looked down, ashamed. “And I know that doesn’t make sense, giving our relationship a name doesn’t change what the relationship  is but-“

“I understand.” Gavin looked up, and Nines took his hand in his, running a smooth finger up and down an old scar on the back of his hand. He never found out what it was from. “You want everything that a relationship of that kind entails, but don’t want to put a name to it?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s perfectly fine. I’m okay with waiting for you to be ready for that. It’s not a big thing.”

“You shouldn’t have to  wait for me-“

“I’d wait forever for you, Gavin. I don’t care if you’re only ready the day we die, I’d wait until then, just for you. Just because I don’t have to doesn’t mean I won’t.”

Gavin bumbled through the starts of several different sentences, none of which were willing to be voiced. Eventually, he gave up, looking down again.

“For now, just partners. More than friends, but not quite. How about that?” He didn’t trust his voice to work, already having been betrayed by it only moments ago. So he just nodded.

“You should go to bed. You need rest.” Again, he just nodded, exhausted shy the night’s events. He readied himself, then slowly stood up. Nines watched him make his way over to the doorway of his room, where he paused. Right when hemoved to continue, Nines spoke up.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” He didn’t respond, just walking into his room without a word. Nines waited for a few minutes, long enough for the sleep-deprived human to change. Then he stood up, and stepped through the open door, shutting it gently behind him.

Gavin was lying in bed on his side, facing away from the window. Nines quietly made his way over, sitting on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on the human’s own outstretched one. He flinched, opening his eyes to stare at their connected hands, only able to see from the faint light through the window, a pulsing yellow LED, and a soft blue glow from white plastic.

After a few moments, his eyes drifted closed again, and with his free hand he tapped the bed lightly. Nines obliged, bringing his legs up onto the bed, lowering himself to stare at Gavin’s scarred face. 

A few seconds passed, where the android simply watched the slow rise and fall of the human’s side underneath the covers, before he closed his eyes and drifted into his own mind, hands encasing his partner’s.

**Author's Note:**

> Is it midnight? Yes. Am I at 3%? Yes. Am I posting this? Hell yes and you can’t stop me. I’ve got like seventeen notes open just for D:BH. Needed to get one of them posted.
> 
> I’m also taking requests/suggestions/prompts. No guarantee I’ll get to them, but if you feel like reading more of my shitty writing but with your idea, go for it. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Now that it’s not midnight, I forgot about this!  
> I’m in the Octopunks Discord server, and the Detroit: New Era server. Here’s the link if you wanna come chat in the New Era! https://discord.gg/yt8G9F


End file.
